Osun Healthcare Students Trained On FGM Prevention

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Action Health Incorporated, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund ((UNFPA) has organised a 3-day training programme for healthcare students in the Osun State.

The training which was organised in collaboration with the Osun State Government, tagged “Shaping Future Medics”, is focused on teaching the students about integrative approaches to the prevention of Female Genital Mutilation.

Addressing participants during the first day of the programme held in Osogbo on Wednesday, the Director of Public Health in the state Ministry of Health, Dr Akeem Bello, harped on the need for health practitioners to adhere to the ethics of their profession.

Dr Bello told the students that health practitioners must see their clients as friends and treat them with dignity, adding that they must not do anything against the client’s wishes.

He also urged health professionals to continue advocating for the complete eradication of FGM in the state.

He said, “There is no health benefit of Genital Mutilation and it should be discouraged completely. We as health practitioners should be the advocates of total elimination of Genital Mutilation in our society.

“We must make our patients our friends and treat them with dignity. Health practitioners must adhere to ethics and make sure whatever they are doing
conforms with the laid down guidelines. You must ensure that you don’t do anything against your client’s wish.”

Earlier in her lecture, the Director, Nursing Services at the state Ministry of Health, Mrs Toyin Adelowokan, said the advocacy campaigns against FGM in the state are yielding positive results.

Adelowokan, who took the students through the overview of FGM and the health risks associated with it, called on those who are still practicing FGM to desist, adding that anyone caught would be prosecuted.

She said, “Based on the data by NDHS in 2013, Osun had the highest prevalence rate then – 76.6 percent but when the 2018 data came out, it had dropped to 45.9 percent.

“We are expecting that of 2023 and we can say that the practice is now coming down in Osun State. We started this campaign over a decade ago. We have been to many communities and local governments in the state. Our people are much more aware of the harmful effects of Female Genital Mutilation now.

“My advice to those who are still practicing FGM is that they should desist because if they are caught, they will be prosecuted.”

Speaking with newsmen during the training programme, UNFPA Gender/FGM Analyst, Uzoma Ayodeji, said the training was to strengthen the healthcare system’s response to FGM.

She said, “This 3-day training for medical and paramedical students aimed to strengthen the healthcare system’s response to FGM. Through this support, UNFPA demonstrated its commitment to ending FGM and promoting the health, rights, and well-being of women and girls.

READ ALSO

•Osun Communities Declare End To FGM

•My Administration Committed To Improve Healthcare Delivery – Adeleke

“By investing in the capacity of healthcare providers, we are helping to ensure that survivors of FGM receive the care and support they need and that future generations are protected from this harmful practice.”

On her part, the Programme Officer, Action Health Incorporated, Fatimah Idris, said the training was a first of its kind in Osun State.

She noted that the training programme was to enable healthcare students have a broader knowledge of FGM, adding that participants were selected across tertiary institutions in the state.

“This is a first of its kind in Osun, and we’ve decided to train healthcare students on integrative approaches to FGM prevention.

“It is a 3-day programme and we are hopeful that at the end of the programme, the students would have a broader knowledge of FGM practice and its implications and can be advocates against the harmful practice.”